


99 Letters

by Sleepless_In_Santa_Fe



Category: RWBY
Genre: CheckMate - Freeform, Comedy, F/F, Fluff, Monochrome, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23517523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepless_In_Santa_Fe/pseuds/Sleepless_In_Santa_Fe
Summary: Slight older AU, volume 3 end never happened, they all happily reached the fourth year.Weiss receives a box! Wonder who it's from! Hmmmmmmmm.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 1
Kudos: 55





	1. Pandora's Box

**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback is more than appreciated.

The half-empty coffee mug stood forgotten on a reasonable distance from the edges of the table. To it's right stood an assortment of various dust theory textbooks, all meticulously annotated with every colour marker one could think of. The only sounds that could be heard were the slightly nervous scribbling and the rustling of the fresh spring leaves outside. Weiss Schnee was alone in the dorm room, studying, and perfectly at peace. Almost.

Compared to the previous years, the fourth year curriculum was unexpectedly easy to go through. Instead of dry theory, it focused on practical matters, most of which the soon-to-be hunters and huntresses of the academy already knew on an intuitive level. In her perfectionist paranoia, Weiss couldn't quite help feeling that she was missing something. She wasn't.

With a sigh she put the pen down over the lines of written text in her notebook. _That covers the entire test, apparently. Might as well take a break for a minute before the others return._ Mere moments later, she heard hefty footsteps outside the door.

*knock knock knock*

_Oh for the love of..._

Somewhat reluctantly, the heiress stood up and made her way towards the door, fixing her skirt and hair in the meantime. After making sure her appearance was acceptable, she opened the door. A plump, moustached old man in a blue uniform and a large messenger bag over his shoulder stood in front of her, his expectant eyes peeking underneath his bushy eyebrows.

"Miss Schnee?"

"That's me."

"A package for you." The postman said as he pulled out an awkwardly sized sealed box from his bag.

"I didn't expect anything. Who is the sender?"

He reached in his pocket and took out a piece of paper full of monotonous looking tables and listings. "Uhh let me see... a certain... Blake Belladonna."

Weiss stood dumbfounded.

"..."

"..."

"...are you sure it's from her and not for her?"

Checking the paper again, he nodded "As certain as Dust."

"I see... well thank you for delivering it."

"You are quite welcome. If you would just sign here... and that would be all. Pleasant day to you young lady." The postman bowed his head with a smile which mostly remained hidden underneath his walrus moustache, turned left and went Dust knows where.

Closing the door, Weiss' thoughts rushed through her head in an attempt to explain why her teammate, with whom she shared a dorm room, and whom she would see in a matter of hours at most, would send her a package through Vale postal services.

The box she held in her hands had a bit of an airy weight to it. She placed it on top of her notebooks and upon inspecting the outside of the box and finding nothing that would indicate its contents, she slowly unwrapped the tape that kept it closed, half expecting it to be some sort of a prank masterminded by Yang. Instead, she found letters. A lot of letters. Most likely more letters than all the letters she had seen in her life so far, combined. _Who even writes letters anymore?_

They were all bound in a black ribbon, except for the one on top. Still utterly confused, Weiss took the letter and opened it, recognizing Blake's handwriting.

_Weiss_

_Truth be told, none of these were ever meant to reach you. And a big part of me is still very unsure about all this. But I need some closure, whatever it may be. So let me be completely honest:_

_I am in love with you. And I have been for a while now. I never thought that you would return my feelings, so I never acted on them and hoped that it would pass, as crushes usually do. But it didn't. And every day you would somehow find a way to make me fall in love with you more._

_Writing things down has always helped me sort my thoughts out, so I hoped that it would help me with this too. And, well, I guess it's pretty obvious it didn't. I never realised that I've written so many until I actually counted them. This being the 100th seems appropriate. And since now you know about this, I feel like you have a right to read them._

_So... I need an answer. I know this must be very strange and very sudden, but I needed to do this before graduation, or let it fester inside me for Dust knows how long._

_I won't return to the dorm today. I will wait for you at 10pm by the giant tree on the edge of the Everfall forest. If you don't come by midnight, I will take it that you don't want anything to do with this, and in that case I ask that we try to forget about everything and pretend that nothing happened, at least for the sake of the team. Or if you would come, at least to talk, it would make me very happy._

_Your very embarrassed friend, Blake Belladonna_

A rush of heat spread out to Weiss' cheeks, turning the porcelain skin apple red. She got up from the table and started pacing back and forth from one bunk bed to the other, with her arms sporadically pointing in random directions around her, like a sped-up mime in a heated debate. It took a good half a minute before she could start to formulate semi-rational thoughts again.

_Blake? In LOVE with me? Blake Belladonna? In love with ME?_

Her thoughts turned to her raven-haired teammate. The two of them have certainly gotten closer over the years. Admittedly, even slightly more than they have with the sisters. While Ruby and Yang were always the life and the bright side of team RWBY, Weiss came to appreciate Blake's skillful art of listening more than speaking and enjoying the quiet, yet always standing firmly by what she believed truly mattered. And even though she felt like she could confide in any of them, Blake always had an air of deeper attentiveness about her. They would spend hours in conversation, or studying together in a peaceful, comfortable silence in the library.

_But BLAKE? In LOVE with me?_

Understandably not knowing what to make of any of this, Weiss decided to start reading the letters, hoping for some further explanation. She untied the black ribbon which held the letters together and opened the first one. The date indicated that it was written about a week after Blake revealed that she was a faunus and their reconciliation at the docks. She remembered how awful she had felt about it at the time. She could hardly manage to look Blake in the eyes for a while. But the letter seemed to show that there were no hard feelings. To the contrary, although not quite romantic, there was plenty of praise - of Weiss' willingness to look outside of the box she was raised in, and to her kindness, well-hidden as it may be. The second, third, and forth letters were all similar, if slightly more rambly, with strange digressions about white lilies. The fifth seemed to be filled with quotes, most likely from all those books Blake keeps around. The sixth contained descriptions of her pristine appearance and gracefulness. The seventh praised her combat skills, most likely after an assignment in the Everfall forest.

Before she could open the eighth letter, she heard a familiar joyous pair of footsteps approaching the door. With panic giving a slight shake to her movement, she hid the box under her bed, with just enough time to sit on the mattress, her back straight and her hands on her knees, as if she was expecting to be interviewed.

"Hey Weiss!"

"Hello Ruby, Yang."

"Blake's not back yet?"

"No, she... she sent me a text saying she'll be out for the evening."

Yang's eyelids dropped down halfway as she spoke through a grin: "Ohhhh maybe ol' Blakey finally found herself a boyfriend…"

Weiss' eyes rolled on her own. _If only you knew how wrong you are, Yang._

Meanwhile, Ruby had a concerned look on her face.

"Weiss are you okay?"

"Of course I am okay. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Your cheeks are kinda red..."

"Awwww are you jealous that Blake got a date while you're here all by your lonesome self?"

"Yang!"

Yang sat down next to Weiss and pulled her in a side hug. "I'm kidding Weiss! And Blake's probably in one of her need-time-alone moods anyway."

"Yes... probably."

"But seriously Weiss, is something wrong? You seem kinda worked up."

"No, everything is fine. I just... just came back from practice, that is all."

Yang and Ruby exchanged a something-is-definitely-wrong look, but silently nodded in agreement not to press further.


	2. Time Flies Like an Arrow, Fruit Flies Like an Apple (or, The Talk)

Weiss Schnee was lying in her bed, holding a textbook in her nervous hands. Pretending to read had never been such a daunting task. Although her teammates seemed to be completely absorbed in their own businesses - barely audible music coming from Yang's headphones across the room and the occasional gasp at a comic book action scene from Ruby's bunk bed above her - Weiss could not bring herself to feel at ease.

_What should I do? Should I meet Blake? Of course I should meet Blake, what kind of a friend am I? But what do I say... Wait, what do I want to say? Does she really... Blake likes me... Wait no, no, no. Why not? NO! Blake is your trusted teammate. You should... Letters. Can't in front of them. No, wait. Blake is a faunus and NO THAT IS NOT AN ISSUE, WE ARE OVER THAT. The ears are cute. But we've known each other for... Am I really so clueless that I didn't notice... And not that I really don't want to... There's nothing really wrong with Blake. But... NO, it's Blake. So... Oh Dust why is this so hard. Why did I think of Yang saying "that's what she said"._

After realising that an hour spent aimlessly wandering through the same ten sentences in her head over and over again was quite expectedly useless, Weiss decided to try to think of alternatives _. ...Should I talk to Ruby?_ If being a part of team RWBY has helped her learn anything, it is that honesty is the best policy. Or at least being close to honest.

Reluctantly, Weiss got up and stood on her toes on the edges of her bed, palms on the edges of Ruby's. She had to lift her chin up.

Pleasantly surprised at the rare visit, Ruby put her comic book down and gave a welcoming smile.

"What's up Weiss?" 

The heiress checked the bunk behind her only to see Yang asleep, mouth wide open, with the music still playing in her headphones.

"Ruby, I have a question."

"Sure."

"So... hypothetically... let's say someone liked you. Liked liked you. But you kind of sort of feel weird about it... but there's no real reason not to but you still kind of shouldn't maybe. I think. What would you do?"

"Ummm... well, do I like them or not?"

"...I don't know."

"Then you two should date to figure out if you like them."

"Hm... well, that makes sense bu-WAIT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN "YOU"?"

"Come on Weiss, something is obviously going on with you today, and now you ask me a weird question about dating. I'm not dumb."

"Well... okay but could you not tell anyone, please? Even Yang?"

Ruby raised her hand in a solemn oath "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Slightly excessive, but thank you... So you really think I should try?"

"Yeah. If you're not sure about it, then try it out. And the thing about "you should but shouldn't" part was kinda confusing, but you said there's no real reason not to, at least I think you did. So why not give it a go, if it turns out that you two don't really work out you can always break up. Or maybe it could turn out great and they become the love of your life. Who knows?"

Weiss' cheeks burned red again, yet she couldn't hide a very confused smile. "Y-yes I suppose you're right... Thank you Ruby, this really helped."

"Any time, partner." Ruby gave a conspiratorial nod and whispered "Is it Neptune?"

"No." Weiss deadpanned. "And don't remind me."

Ruby's lips curled into an exaggerated frown of dejection. "Awwww I was sure you two would end up together."

"Ruby..."

"You're both so fancy and stuff."

"Ruby!" Weiss' eyes suddenly became much more stern.

"Ehehe." Ruby gave a bright smile, held a peace sign, and returned to her comic book.

Weiss got down to her bed and reassumed her previous position with a textbook in her lap. _When did Ruby of all people become this mature?_

_______________________________

The evening came slowly, with the setting sun gently colouring the cloudy sky in warm orange hues. It came even more slowly for Weiss, time doing little to ease the tight knot on her jumbled thoughts. Even though, with Ruby's help, she had decided what she would do, the anticipation and restlessness made the hours much longer that they should be. She glanced at the clock. 18:54. _Dust, three more hours. How am I supposed to do anything in this state. If I could at least..._

"Weiss, you coming?" Yang's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"It's time for dinner, you gotta eat."

An idea came to Weiss "I think I'll sit this one out, I'm not that hungry."

"You sure? Want us to grab you a sweet or something?"

"No... an apple or an orange would be nice though."

"Sure, no problem." With a wave Ruby and Yang left for the cafeteria.

After a minute, having made sure that the sisters wouldn't come back for a forgotten scroll or a wallet, Weiss reached for the box hidden under her bed and put it in her lap. For a moment, she held it in her hands, feeling a slight reluctance. The thing suddenly felt precious, like she's holding someone’s heirloom. Weiss took a deep breath, reminding herself that reading these would probably help her in one way or another.

_So. Let's see... five, six, seven..._

She took out the eighth letter and opened the envelope with care. The paper felt light in her hands, as if it would fly away on its own with the tiniest puff of air. The "Weiss" at the top was crossed out, replaced by a "Dear Weiss". She felt a flutter in her chest. As the letter went on it became obvious that Blake struggled with the idea as much as Weiss did, if not more. And over four years no less. _Dust, Blake...why didn't you..._ The ninth, tenth and eleventh letter were all similar, Blake clearly having a hard time making sense of herself. The twelfth had the first hints of acceptance, and the first "I think I like you".

Weiss hastily put the letters back in the box, and pushed it back under the bed. Sensing her cheeks grow red again, she hid her face in her palms, hiding her blush from no one, and tapped her feet on the ground in an irregular offbeat.

The door opened and an apple flew towards Weiss, which she thankfully caught before it hit her in the face.

Yang smiled. "Well I'm sure glad that we picked an apple because you two match perfectly together."

Weiss looked down at the apple in her hands, red as an... apple.

"YANG!"


	3. To the Moon and Back

The Everfall forest was dark, with a rare few slivers of light falling through the foliage of trees. She could just barely see in front of her with the help of the light from her scroll, and that thorny bush she went through might have left her shin bleeding. Weiss Schnee was absolutely not okay.

_For the love of... Blake, I know you like to be dramatic, but this is impractical beyond reason._

The shattered moon slowly became less and less obscured by the trees as she approached the edge of the forest. _And there is the giant tree Blake mentioned._ She stopped for a minute, steadying her breath, then glanced at the moon and wondered how come she never counted how many pieces of its debris could be seen with the naked eye. Catching herself in delaying moving forward, Weiss straightened her back, and walked in a brisk pace, slowing down ever so slightly as she approached the edge.

When she was close enough she peeked around the tree, and saw Blake, sitting with her back against the tree bark, ears folded backwards. A closed book laid forgotten, loosely held in her right hand. Her eyes were turned upwards to the shattered moon, which in turn revealed her pensive figure in its light.

For the first time in her life, Weiss wished that she could paint.

She stood still a few moments, when Blake's ears twitched. Her head turned towards Weiss and after a few seconds of genuine surprise in her expression, her ears immediately fell back down again.

"Weiss... hi." 

"Hi, Blake."

They stared at each other a few silent seconds.

"Mind if I sit down?"

"Uh, no, not at all!" Blake scooted over a few inches to her left. Weiss sat down next to her. They both stared at the ground for a while.

"Wei-"

"Bla-"

The dissonance of their voices cut through the stillness of the night like a rusty knife through a raw tenderloin.

"..."

"..."

"I-"

"You-"

They kept looking at each other's eyes, astonishingly embarrassed of their communication skills. There they were, the supposedly more eloquent, model student half of team RWBY, and yet they acted like shy 8 year olds. Slowly becoming aware of how silly they must seem, Weiss started giggling.

Never breaking eye contact, Blake was for a few moments surprised at Weiss' reaction, only to feel the burden of awkwardness fall from her heart, and broke out into a laughing fit, which pulled Weiss along into it. After a while, they wiped the few tears that were starting to well up, both their laughs turning into small smiles. Sitting against a tree next to each other was suddenly much more comfortable.

Weiss spoke first. "You know... actually seeing you somehow made this much more real."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… when I got the box and read the first couple of letters, I was out of my mind. I didn't know what to think. I kept thinking and thinking all afternoon and evening, but couldn't really figure anything out, it felt like a weird dream. I did talk to Ruby and she really helped but-"

"Ruby knows?" Blake's neutral expression did a good job at hiding her embarrassment at the thought that Ruby knew.

"No, I didn't say it was you, just that someone liked me. At first I didn't even tell her that it was about me, but she figured it out. Anyway, like I said, it all seemed like a weird dream. Just an idea floating through my head that I couldn't really grasp."

Blake's ears were pressed like pancakes against her skull. "I really made a mess for you, didn't I?"

Weiss thought for a moment. Her lips curved into a sympathetic smile. "Well, truth be told, you did. But it was awfully brave. What made you send them, why not just tell me?"

Blake’s eyes turned to the ground. "I guess... I guess I wanted you to know how serious I am about it. I mean, this has been going on for almost four years. I didn't want you to think that it was just a... spur of the moment type of thing. And yes, sending them was beyond embarrassing but... I don't think that any other way would feel right."

"Hm, I think I see what you mean. Honestly, I must be terribly oblivious because I never noticed anything."

Blake looked Weiss straight in the eyes, put on her best poker face, and said "Deception is a part of White Fang assassin training."

Weiss processed the sentence and Blake's expression for a second, stood dumbfounded for another second, smiled and lightly punched Blake in the shoulder in the third.

Again, they stared at the ground for a few almost-comfortable moments. This time Blake broke the silence. "You were saying how... seeing me made it more real. I don't think you finished the thought."

"Oh! Yes, thank you. Umm yes, the whole thing was like a thought that I couldn't catch. But seeing you here, talking to you... well, I suppose it made me more sure of what I want to do."

Blake quickly extinguished the small flame of hope that flashed through her mind. "What do you mean?"

Weiss straightened her back and turned her gaze away, her cheeks burning up. "I mean... is Saturday okay with you? Unless you had something specific planned?"

For the second time that evening, Blake couldn't hide her surprise, only this time it was combined with genuine disbelief. "Wait... so you mean..."

"Yes. And look, I can't say I like you that way," _Yet, anyway._ "I don't want to lie to you. But I'm willing to give this a chance." _And right now I don't think I could say that to anyone else._

Blake felt her heart jump through the stratosphere halfway to the shattered moon. "Y-yeah, yes... of course... Saturday sounds great."

Their gazes both went back to the ground while an excited few seconds of silence fell on them. Weiss looked up at the moon and remembered.

"Say... did you ever count how many pieces of the moon can be seen?"

Blake looked up as well. "Hm? 17, not counting the biggest part as a piece."

"13, 14, 15... 16... 17. Huh, you're right."

"Why that all of a sudden?"

"No reason."

Finally, the long-expected comfortable silence took its minute of fame as they gazed at the moon. Having enough, although not too much of, well, everything for a single day, Weiss took a deep breath, straightened her back, and grabbed Blake's hand.

Blake's heart, after a short sojourn in the place it was supposed to be in, made another abrupt voyage towards the moon.

"Wh-"

"You are leading me back through the forest. Unlike me, you can actually see in the dark, remember?"

Somehow both relieved and excited at the prospect of having a rational reason to hold Weiss' hand, Blake got up with a smile and slowly guided Weiss back along the path through the Everfall forest. As the moon became obscured by the trees and the forest's darkness became more impenetrable, Weiss felt at ease. _Not so hard now. Better with her around._


End file.
